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Overuse of antibiotics could lead to drug resistance

Eau Claire (WQOW)- It’s that time of the year again: the common cold and flu are circulating around the community.

Before you decide to see a doctor for some relief, it’s important to know somethings can’t be treated with antibiotics.

HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital Pharmacy Director John VanDeVoort said antibiotics can only treat bacterial infections, so they won’t help you if you have a cold, because it’s caused by a virus.

Antibiotics can’t treat fungal infections either.

VanDeVoort said taking an antibiotic when you don’t have a bacterial infection could make your body become immune to the medicine, which could be a concern for you and everybody else.

“We want to make sure that we’re considering the population as well, the risk to the population,” Vandevoort said. “That risk is decreased effectiveness of the antibiotic over population as a whole so we want to in using antibiotics we want to make sure they’re effective not just for the person that’s getting it but also for other people that need it.”

VanDeVoort said community providers are aware of the concerns with antibiotics, and said because of that, the use of antibiotics are lower here than what you’d see across the nation.

Shannon Satterlee

Shannon Satterlee joined News 18 in February 2018 as a Multi-Media Journalist.